Various forms of technology are typically present throughout all facets of a business organization. Technology is so prevalent in many organizations that one or more technology units are created to manage the technology for one or more business units. For example, one technology unit may deal strictly with data storage for the entire organization while several technology units may handle application program development for specific business areas such as a sales or manufacturing.
These technology units may interact with the business units to implement technologies that are used by individuals in the carrying on of the everyday business of the organization. Although each area of a business organization has its own technology needs, the various areas often are interactive and overlapping in practice rather than being isolated from one another. Yet there may be little or no communication between divisions about the technologies that are needed, the retired or to be retired technologies, the technologies that are newly implemented, or the technologies that will be implemented in the future.
Over time, the retirement of technologies and the implementation of new technologies in the various areas can lead to unexpected technology architecture breakdowns or inefficiencies including wasted resources. For example, overlap and interaction between the various areas of the organization dictates that the technologies used for each be compatible with one another, but incompatibilities may result from replacement technologies put in place by one division without a full understanding of the effects throughout the organization. Conversely, new technologies that could be effectively used may go unnoticed because the individual divisions cannot perceive how the new technology might impact many aspects of the organization. Thus, the new technology is avoided for fear of the unknown consequences. Furthermore, technology may be added when no need for the technology exists, or conversely a need experienced throughout the organization may not be addressed.
A lack of cooperation and communication between the various business units and technology units of the organization aggravates these issues. Policies of the particular technologies to be used may not be provided, or if provided, may not be effectively practiced among the diverse business and technology areas of the organization. The result of this lack of cooperation and communication is an ineffective technology architecture that lacks an ability to evolve as needed without creating inefficiencies or failures in the organization.
Additional difficulties also arise as a result of the challenges encountered when trying to identify and record the various technologies utilized within a standard operating environment of a technology architecture. Because of the large number of technologies utilized within a typical technology architecture, it can be very difficult to identify each technology standard, a corresponding product standard, and the stage at which the product standard is within the technology lifecycle. Therefore, in light of the above, there exists a need for a data structure and computer-readable medium for storing data that comprehensively defines the aspects of a standard operating environment for a technology architecture.